The present invention relates to a method and a device for displaying the performance of an aircraft when climbing and/or descending, and also to an aircraft comprising this type of display device.
It is known that on present aircraft, when a change of flight level (climb or descent) is necessary during a flight, pilots can initiate the change of altitude manually. To do this, they select the required altitude and set a specific mode in a flight control unit (FCU). There is therefore an open descent mode to cause the aircraft to descend and an open climb mode to cause the aircraft to climb.
When one of these modes is set, the vertical slope taken by the aircraft corresponds to the maximum slope that the aircraft is capable of adopting. This maximum slope depends on the capability of the aircraft at the time the mode is applied. Parameters such as the mass and speed of the aircraft, and the engine thrust are factors that determine its ability to follow a slope.
However, pilots do not know exactly what slope the aircraft will take or the positions through which it will pass to reach the selected altitude. This is because no device exists that has been designed to calculate and provide this information to the crew.